Introduction

As Allah's people, Muslims believe they will always be protected by him against any accident or disaster. However accidents and natural disasters do happen in Muslim countries and Allah seems to turn a blind eye when disaster strikes, even when they occur during the Hajj in Mecca, where Islam's holiest site, the Ka'aba, is located. Here we will list many significant events where a lot of Muslims have died due to natural disasters and accidents. This shows that there is little use in praying to Allah for the success and safety of Muslims.

Lists

Accidents and Natural Disasters at The Hajj

The Hajj is an important religious duty that every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to must partake in at least once in their lifetime. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and, as such, is meant to demonstrate the solidarity between the disparate Muslim people, and their submission to Allah. The Ka'aba itself is believed to be the "House of Allah" and the Qur'an tells us it's an "asylum of security for men",[1] so it would seem reasonable for Allah to protect or prevent any catastrophes from occurring in his house during the Hajj. However, this is not the case.

A Stampede occurs when a large crowd panics, knocking people to the ground. They seem to be a regular part of the Hajj, and in all cases people are injured and trampled to death. Millions of pilgrims attend the Hajj every year and the attendance keeps on growing as more options for travel become available. It is a challenge for the government of Saudi Arabia to house these pilgrims and security to maintain the crowds remains inadequate.

In previous years violence has erupted during the Hajj, such as the 1979 Grand Mosque seizure (382 dead),[12] the 1982 bombing, and 1987 Mecca Massacre (402 dead).[13]

Not only is the Hajj subject to chaos, stampedes, etc., it is also subject to the spread of diseases such as meningitis, Swine Flu, and other transmittable diseases as millions of pilgrims are kept together in cramped and squalid conditions. Following an outbreak of meningitis amongst the pilgrims in 1987, the government of Saudi Arabia made vaccinations against the disease mandatory for all pilgrims.

Deadliest Earthquakes in the Past 50 Years

Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, some Muslims claimed this tragedy befell the Japanese because "Denying the Lordship of Allah and refusing to submit to Him in worship is the biggest act of injustice".[14]

This belief stems from the fact that the Qur'an often states earthquakes are for non-Muslims and occur as the wrath of an angry God.[15][16] However, out of the 10 most deadly earthquakes in the last 50 years,[17][18] 6 of the 8 countries affected were populated by a Muslim majority:

Accidents and Natural Disasters in the Muslim world

Many Muslims often gloat and celebrate[19][20] when an accident or natural disaster befalls the Western and/or non-Muslim world, believing (as mentioned above) that it is the actions of a vengeful Allah. For example, following the 2005 Atlantic hurricane which struck the United States, the high-ranking Kuwaiti official, Muhammad Yousef Al-Mlaifi, referred to Hurricane Katrina as a "wondrous storm", a "Wind of Torment and Evil from Allah", and a "Soldier of Allah".[21]

When these beliefs are so strong among Muslims, surely this almighty God would not turn on his own followers? (note that this is by no means a complete list and only lists the reported figures of the dead, not those who are missing and presumed dead)

Clearly natural disasters have a tendency to occur in Muslim countries with the deaths of hundreds and thousands of people as a result of these catastrophes. The most significant of these events being the 2004 Indonesian Tsunami resulting in 280,000 deaths.[93] These figures do not include homelessness, displacement, hunger, financial loss and other forms of suffering which result from these disasters. Often hundreds, thousands, and even millions of Muslim survivors are negatively effected. For example, the 2010 Pakistan flood which killed around 2,000 people,[154] left a further 12 million Pakistanis stranded or displaced during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.[169]

Astonishingly even during such a tragedy, Muslims fail to show any compassion or love towards non-Muslims. Some members of Pakistan's Ahmadiyya community were not rescued from their homes because "rescuers felt that Muslims must be given priority."[170][171] Similarly, the Sikh community in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa were abandoned and had to "arrange rescue for themselves".[170] Systematic discrimination by government relief workers and Muslim aid agencies against Hindus, Christians, and other flood survivors in the distribution of aid had been reported,[172][173][171][174][175] and five Christian and Hindu villages in Sindh and Punjab were also deliberately flooded as a result of artificial diversions, killing at least 15 people and leaving over 2,800 families homeless.[176]

Conclusion

Accidents and natural disasters are a common occurrence in the Muslim world. Allah fails to protect his followers and turns a blind eye in times of devastation, leaving them at the mercy of primarily Western and non-Muslim aid.

This leads us to ask the question if Allah is almighty and powerful why does he not protect his followers from catastrophes and devastation? Does he abandon his people on purpose? Does he wish to humiliate his followers by making them dependant on foreign aid and handouts from the very people whom they are not to take as “friends and protectors”? These are questions Muslims need to answer.

Presented with the facts, it is not unreasonable for an honest person to admit Allah does not play any significant role in the lives of Muslims in spite of 7.85 billion[177] potential prayers he receives every day from the worlds Muslims, not to mention the 2 million people who risk their lives by gathering at the Hajj every year to pray to him for the success and safety of Muslims.

Responses to Apologetics

"Hardships faced by Muslims are intentional tests done by Allah to test the faith of Muslims" What kind of God is Allah by killing Muslim women, children and infants in Earthquakes and natural disasters? What exactly does this method of "testing" achieve? Can't the 'testing' be done without killing innocent children and infants? Is Allah testing non-Muslims too when disaster strikes in their countries? If Allah cant even protect his followers in his holy cities, in what way is he helping the Muslims when they pray to him?

"Muslims are being punished for straying away from Islam" See the response to #1. Allah should not let infants, women and children in his "punishments" otherwise he is no different from serial killers who torture and kill people.